Tying machines for packages and the like



M. H. JONES TYING MACHINES FOR PACKAGES AND THE LIKE Dec. 2, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16, 1955 Dec. 2, 1958 M. H. JONES TYING MACHINES FOR PACKAGES AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May '16, 1955 FIG. 2.

Dec. 2, 1958 M. H. JONES 2,862,442

' TYING MACHINES FOR PACKAGES AND THE LIKE Filed'May 16, 1955 s Shets-Sheet 3 United States Patent TYING MACHINES FOR PACKAGES AND THE LIKE Maurice Holford Jones, Birmingham, England, assignor to Leo M. Harvey and Lawrence Harvey, trading as The Harmac Company, Los Angel'es, Calif.

Application May 16, 1955, Serial No. 508,590 Claims priority, application Great Britain May 18, 1954 4 Claims. (Cl. 10027) This invention relates to machines for tying packages and the like with metal either in the form of strip or wire, of the kind in which the binding metal is looped round a package by the machine before being tightened and secured.

The binding metal is usually supplied to such a machine from a coil in a stationary container but when the machine is of the kind in which the free end of the loop is held and metal is drawn from the container and taken round the package by means such as a revoluble ring each cornplete revolution of the ring applies a 360 degree twist to the binding metal. In machines using round wire this twisting may be accommodated to a limited extent by twisting of the wire in the loop around the package but there is usually progressive twisting of the bight back to the supply coil. Many proposals have been made for dealing with this problem and some have been carried into effect. These have usually involved considerable complications in the mode of operation of the machines especially in the case of those dealing with strip material in which it will be readily appreciated that twisting presents an even more serious difiiculty since none can be taken up in the band around the package.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for supplying binding metal to a package tying machine while avoiding twisting and complications in the mode of operation of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide-means for turning a supply coil to follow each turning movement applied by the machine to the binding metal and so avoid twisting of the bight.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a holder fora supply coil which riot only allows the coil to rotate about its own central axisbut also turns about a diameter, of the coil. g

Yet another object of the invention istoprovidemeans for driving the holder for rotation about a diameter of the coil in synchronism with the loop forming means of the tying machine.

Still another object of the invention is to enable the supply means to be driven by the tying machine.

These and other novel features and objects of the invention will become more readily apparent when considered in the light of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are employed for the purpose of illustration only,

2,862,442 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 Figure 3 is an end elevation partly in section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2." w,

Referring first to Figure 1 a package-tying machine 5 is arranged to be supplied with binding metal M by apparatus according to the invention. 7

The binding metal M enters the machine 5 through a guide 7 mounted on a rotatable ring 8 which also carries on its rearward face rollers 9 over which the binding metal M passes to the tying mechanism 10. A package to be tied is supported on a table 11 and projects through the opening of the ring 8. To form a loop around the package the ring 8 and the guide 7 and rollers 9 mounted on it make a complete revolution, in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure l, causing the portion 12 of the binding metal M between the tying mechanism and the last roller 9 to be wrapped in a complete loop around the package after which the tying mechanism 10 secures the ends of the loop together and severs it from the supply. The binding metal necessary to form the loop is drawn from the supply over the rollers 9 and through the guide 7.

It will be apparent that when the ring 8 makes a complete revolution the bight 13 of binding .metal M between the guide 7 and the supply is twisted through 360% If the supply is a stationary coil as has hitherto usually been the case with such machines this twisting of the binding metal is absorbed in the loop around the package. -This is only possible with round wire. The supply apparatus 6 according to the invention is therefore provided to avoid twisting of the bight by mounting the supply coil 14 in a holder15 rotated to follow each turning movement appliedto the binding metal by the e of a flexible cable 16 from the machine 5 through a machine. This enables binding metal of flattened'wire or strip form to be used with which twisting in the loop around the package obviously cannot be tolerated.

The drive for rotating the holder 15 is taken by means worm drive'enclose'd in a housing 17 having a substantially horizontal output shaft to bevel gears 19,20. The

driven bevel gear 20 is mounted on a shaft 21 the axis The coil-holder 15 is mounted on this shaft andtherefore" rotates about its axis. The shaft 21 is rotatable in bearof which is inclined at an angle to the vertical.

ings in a substantial bracket 22' securedto a base plate 23 and' carries at its upper end an arm 24 forming part of the coil holder. The arm 24 is'parallel to the rotational axis of thelholder but is spaced to one side of'it- A trunnion .25 is mounted at: anintermediate point of. the holder arm .24 and supports ball bearings 26 fora supply" coil drum 27, The arrangementl is suclr thatjgthej ax'is'of the rotationof the holder intersects the axis of rotation of the drum and lies in the central plane of the drum 27.

The drum 27 comprises a hub 28, a web or disc portion 29 extending from the outer end of the hub, a cylindrical rim 30 extending inwards from the periphery of the web or disc 29 and at the inner end of the rim a radial flange 31. The coil of binding metal 14 is loaded on to the rim of the drum and is retained by angularly spaced fingers 32 pivotally mounted on the web or disc to be displaceable from a radial retaining position to a loading position below the surface of the rim. A spreader 33 comprising a shaft 34 rotatable by a hand-Wheel 35 and jaws 36 mounted on right and left-hand threads at the ends of the shaft is provided to grip the inside of the coil 14 to prevent relative rotary movement between the coil and drum.

At the outer end of the holder arm 24 is secured a hardened die or guide 37 for the binding metal. The

0 opening through the die is co-axial with the rotational on the holder arm'24'th'enover a roller 40 on the upper end of a long brake operating lever 41 pivoted at the other end to the holder arm 24. The binding metal then passes under a similar roller.42 between the drum 27 and the die 37 and is fed to the'machine through the opening of the die. The brake operating lever 41 is mounted to move angularly a cam 49 having a flat portion which bears against the edge of a brake arm 43 also pivoted by one end to the holder arm.24 and carrying at the other a brake shoe 44 lined with friction material. The shoe Works on the inner surface of the rim of the drum and is urged into contact with it by a helical compression spring 45.

A helical compression spring 46, surrounding a rod 47'pivotally'anchored at one end to the brake operating lever 41 and slidable at the other end in a pivoted block 48 resists movement 'of the brake-operating lever 41 towards the holder arm 24. Adjustment of the spring force is provided. When binding metal M is being drawn by the machine the tension on it causes the brake operating lever to move towards the arm 24 to move the cam 49 angularly and release the. brake, but as soon as the binding metal tension is relaxed the spring 46 restores the brake-operating arm to its initial position to allow the spring 45 to re-apply the brake.

The overall ratio of the worm drive and bevel pinions is so related to the speed of rotation of the part of the tying machine from which the drive for the supply means is taken that the holder makes a complete revolution each time the machine forms a loop.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described in some detail, it is to be understood that it is not limited to the form shown, but may receive a variety of expressions as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Reference will, therefore, be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of th invention. I

I claim:

1. The combination with a package-tying machine having a rotatable ring structure dimensioned to circumscribe a package to be tied, and carrying means disposed for guiding a binding ribbon approaching said ring structure in a substantially axial direction into the plane of said ring structure whereby, on rotation of said ring structure, said ribbon is looped about said package, of an apparatus for supplying said binding ribbon to said guiding means, comprising: a reel for supporting a coil of binding ribbon located in an axially ofiset position relative to said ring structure; means for rotating said reel about a first axis perpendicular to the plane of said coil; means 7 for rotating said reel about a second axis extending diametrically through said coil; means for directing said binding ribbon to said second axis and outwardly from said reel to said guiding means of said ring structure; and means synchronized with'rotation of said ring structure to effect corresponding rotation of said reel about said second axis.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, which also includes: a brake means yieldably engageable with said reel to resist rotation thereof about said first axis; and brake-releasing means including a ribbon-guide wheel interposed between said coil of ribbon and said directing means and lever means connected with said guide wheel and said brake means, for releasing said brake means on application of tension to the reach of said binding ribbon between saiddirecting means and said guiding means.

3. An apparatus for tying packages with a binding ribbon, comprising: means for supporting a package to be tied; a ring structure dimensioned to circumscribe a package on said supporting means; a frame structure journaling said ring structure for movement about said package; binding ribbon guide rollers carried by said ring structure and disposed in the plane of said ring structure for looping a length of binding ribbon about said package as said ring structure is rotated; guiding means carried by said ring structure for deflecting or supplying reach of said binding ribbon approaching said ring structure in a substantially axial direction into the plane of said ring structure and guide rollers; a real for supporting a coil of binding ribbon located in an axially ofiset position relative to said ring structure; means for rotating said reel about a first axis perpendicular to the plane of said coil; means for rotating said reel about a second axis extending diametrically through said coil; means for directing said binding ribbon to said second axis and outwardly from said reel to said guiding means of said ring structure; and means synchronized with rotation of said ring structure to effect corresponding rotation of said reel about said second axis.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, which also includes: abrake means yieldably engageable with said reel to resist rotation thereof about said first axis; and brake-releasing means including a ribbon guide wheel interposed between said coil of ribbon and said directing means and'lever means connected with said guide wheel and said brake means, for releasing said brake means on application of tension to the reach of said binding ribbon between said directingmeans and said guiding means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,088 Harvey June 30, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,578 Great Britain June 12, 1914 502,314 Canada May 11, 1854 

